FDA Nutrition Innovation Strategy

FDA has announced a public meeting, entitled “FDA’s Comprehensive, Multi-Year Nutrition Innovation Strategy,” (Strategy) to be held on July 26, 2018, from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. EDT, at the Hilton Washington DC/Rockville Hotel, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The public meeting also will be made available via live webcast.
In March 29, 2018 remarks delivered before the National Food Policy Conference, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., first announced the Strategy, which is intended to “reduce preventable death and disease related to poor nutrition.” The Strategy builds upon FDA’s 2018 Strategic Policy Roadmap, which has as one focus:
Empower consumers to make better and more informed decisions about their diets and health; and expand the opportunities to use nutrition to reduce morbidity and mortality from disease.
In a statement released with the announcement of the public meeting, FDA Commissioner Gottlieb stressed:
What we need is the policy framework that allows consumers to identify healthier options and the market forces to inspire the development of these opportunities at a cost that’s affordable.
Topics to be discussed at the upcoming public meeting include:
• Considering use of a standard icon to denote the claim “healthy” on food labels;
• Creating a more efficient review strategy for evaluating qualified health claims on food labels;
• Discussing new or enhanced labeling statements or claims that could facilitate innovation to produce more healthful foods and more healthful consumer food choices;
• Modernizing the standards of identity to provide more flexibility for the development of healthier products, while making sure consumers have accurate information about these food products;
• Providing opportunities to make ingredient information more helpful to consumers; and
• Discussing FDA’s educational campaign for consumers about the updated Nutrition Facts panel.
The public meeting will include introductory presentations, panels, oral presentations by participants as, and breakout sessions. A request to make an oral presentation may be made when registering to attend the public meeting.
Important dates for this public meeting include:
• Request special accommodations due to disability: July 12, 2018
• Request to make an oral presentation: July 12, 2018
• Advanced registration closing date: July 19, 2018
• Public Meeting July 26, 2018.
• Deadline to submit electronic/written comments: August 27, 2018